Apples & Cherries
by shattered teardrops
Summary: [oneshot]ANBU Ball is fast approaching, Sakura decides to go alone since her dream guy doesn't ask her out. On the night of the ball, Sasuke comes to Sakura's place and ask her one simple favor. [sasusaku] Pure fluff & a bit OOC for Sasuke.


"Apples & Cherries"

one-shot by shattered teardrops

Sasuke stood leaning on one of the trees while supervising the orientation of the chuunins. In front of the newly selected chuunins were Tsunade and Shizune who were explaining the moral values and obligations that a chuunin must come in terms with. The onyx-eyes avenger merely heaved out a sigh. He was afterall through with the training that the chuunins were still undergoing. He was in the middle of getting a little bored when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey guys! The ANBU Ball is to be held a week from now!" Naruto's loud voice was heard a cut above the rest. Sasuke sighed again. He was a bit flabbergasted with the fact that they were already eighteen, not to mention respected ANBUs but Naruto remained being a blabber mouth. "Geez... A Ball... That means we have to find our partners and we have to choose a formal wear... How troublesome..." There was the no doubt voice of the lazy genius, Shikamaru.

'Hn... Are they having a meeting?' The Uchiha thought but chose to keep quiet and listen instead. "I can't wait! I can't wait! I can't wait! Hey, Neji, is Hinata free for the ANBU Ball?" The fox boy happily asked as he turned to Neji. "If you're going to ask her out, I doubt she'll come with you. Hinata does have taste afterall." The Hyuuga clan genius stated arrogantly. Years have passed but there were really some things that never change. "Why you...!" Naruto was about to start another fight with Neji but was held on the shirt by Shikamaru, trying to stop him from causing much trouble. 'When I'm with these guys, it's always troublesome...' Shikamaru thought.

"HMP! Anyway, aside from the clothes, the partners and all, ehem, I think we should be prepared for bigger things!" Naruto stated while crossing his arms on his chest. He started lecturing them about them being men already and of legal age. How they were already mature enough to do some things that adults only do and how they should be responsible and prepared for certain things. "Ne, Naruto, you've been reading one of Kakashi-sensei's Icha Icha Paradise books again, right?' Shikamaru asked in disgust then later added his favorite dialogue, 'how troublesome'.

Sasuke smirked. Looks like fox boy has been infected by his two perverted senseis. He was about to leave where he was standing when fox boy suddenly took notice of him. "Hey, Sasuke-teme! After eavesdropping on our conversation, don't tell me that you're just gonna walk away!" Naruto shouted. All along, he was already aware of the Uchiha's presence but chose to carry on with their conversation instead.

"Hn... I'm not interested..." Sasuke merely replied and was about to walk away when Naruto, again, had a sly thing to comment. "Oh, by the way, teme! I doubt that Sakura-chan would be free for the ANBU Ball, considering that her Fan boys were very eager to ask her out. I seriously think that somehow, one of her fan boys has much more experience than you in things like... you know!" Naruto laughed agitatedly which caused Sasuke's brow to rise up. 'In things like what exactly?' He couldn't help but mentally ask.

"Oi, Sasuke-teme, if you don't have any idea what things I am talking about, I suggest you borrow one of Kakashi-sensei's books! They're on the left drawer of his cabinet on his apartment!" Naruto added as if reading his thoughts. "Dobe..." Sasuke retorted back and began to walk away.

- - -

'I never thought I'd do this...' Sasuke thought as he slowly opened Kakashi's left drawer inside his apartment. He gulped hard. At last, the drawer was opened and inside were the five most recent editions of Icha Icha Paradise that Naruto was talking about. He took the one on the very bottom and immediately disappeared in a puff of smoke.

He reappeared somewhere inside the Uchiha compound and heaved out a sigh of relief. He placed the book inside the pocket of his pants and decided to walk home. It was twilight. The sun was slowly setting and it was getting dark. Suddenly, Sasuke felt someone's presence on his left. He turned to look at who it was and was very surprised to see a panting Sakura.

"Sasuke-kun..." She spoke breathlessly. "Sorry to have trespassed in your property... I was just trying to avoid some stalkers and you know, fan boys... I really don't know why they've been bugging me overtime for these last few days... Anyway, I have to get going now... See you!" Sakura said and immediately began running again.

Sasuke merely looked at the back of the retreating Sakura and snorted. He'd better go home and study the book that Naruto's been talking about. For what reason? He's just curious. Besides, he doesn't like any other guy being better than him in one thing or another. He's an Uchiha afterall.

After arriving home, he took out the contents of his pocket. There was his weapon pouch, his wallet, his keys and of course, the Icha Icha Paradise book. He took off his ANBU uniform top and slumped on top of his bed. Afterwards, he took the Icha Icha Paradise book and opened the first page. After only a few minutes of reading, he immediately felt the change of the temperature inside his room as his cheeks began to redden.

'What the...?' He thought disgustedly. 'I shouldn't have listened to Naruto...' Now he was getting uncomfortable. He tossed out the book and decided to put away his things. Soon afterwards, his eyes fell to his wallet which was partly opened, revealing the candid picture of a certain pink-haired kunoichi as she was talking merrily to Ino-chan.

His eyes slowly darted to where he tossed the book and saw that it was open. He simply stared at it until his eyes were caught by a single line inside the book. The line said. "... slowly, he kissed her..." He looked back at the photo of Sakura and gulped hard. He imagined himself... 'NO! Not gonna happen!' Sasuke fought for self control as he cursed under his breath. 'Damn hormones...' He thought.

- - -

Next day, Sasuke was walking towards the Ichiraku to have the usual ramen that he, Sakura and Naruto used to eat together. Even after years, it became a habit for him to have a bowl or two of ramen after training in the afternoon. Sometimes, he also took his trainees there, but for this afternoon, he was all alone. As luck would have it, Naruto was already seated at his usual spot while gobbling down his third bowl of special ramen.

"Oi! Sasuke-teme! Nice to see you here!" Naruto greeted with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Sasuke didn't answer and chose to sit at his usual spot instead, a seat away from Naruto where Sakura was supposed to be seated. "I heard Sakura will go to the ANBU Ball alone..." Naruto shrugged while chewing some noodles. "Actually, a lot of guys asked her to be their partner to the ball but it seems, Sakura wasn't interested in any one of them..."

For some reason, Sasuke somehow felt victory as he listened to what Naruto was saying. He ordered one special ramen and began eating it. "Aren't you gonna ask her out?" Naruto asked out of the blue. "Hn... I don't know..." The onyx-eyed ANBU answered uncertainly. "Do you have a partner for the ball then?" Naruto asked again. "No..." Sasuke answered timidly. If only this ball wasn't required for them to attend, he'd rather go on an S-rank mission and return after the ball. "It would be great if you and Sakura-chan will come together!" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully. "I'll just tell her that you want to be her escort and..."

"Shut up, dobe..." Sasuke spoke harshly. He pushed his bowl of ramen forward, stood up and left. Leaving the fox boy clueless. 'What's up with him?' Naruto couldn't help but ask.

- - -

An hour and half before the start of the ball, Sasuke was still inside his room, still not dressed. He was sitting on his bed with a bowl of cherries in front of him. He was trying to knot the cherry stems with his tongue. Obviously, he was practicing. Yes, he has been reading Kakashi's book and was trying to learn about the 'things' that Naruto said. And yes, his first step to learning them was a kiss. He needs to learn how to kiss first!

Finally, Sasuke sighed. Knotting cherry stems was like so different from an actual kiss. How the hell would he learn to kiss! Hmm... He just needs a good tutor. Well, he couldn't ask Naruto because that would be like so gross. He's a straight male and he'd never think of kissing another guy! So... Shikamaru and Neji would be out of the list for his possible tutors too... Then... That leaves...

Sasuke immediately put on his dark blue polo shirt and his black coat. His coat wasn't buttoned and the top three buttons of his polo shirt was also undone, leaving a good portion of his chest exposed. Without bothering to straighten out his obsidian locks, he then headed to...

- - -

Sakura was standing in front of a life-size mirror and was checking her dress. She was wearing a two piece gown with a red tube top and a red silk skirt that extended up to her ankle. Her long pink hair was held up in a bun by single stick with cherry blossoms on it's end. She sighed. Why the hell would she need to prepare anyway? It's not like she has a date or something...

She was in the middle of putting on her apple-flavored lip gloss when she heard someone knock on the door. 'Who would visit me at a time like this?' She thought. Her mouth dropped immediately at the sight of the mighty Uchiha standing on her doorstep, dressed up for the ball.

"S-Sasuke-kun... What are you doing here?" She asked in pure wonder. "Um, I mean, come in..." She added. Sasuke entered her apartment and stood looking at the pink-haired kunoichi. She definitely looked awesome. "So, what's up?" She asked. Sasuke had to cough up a little to hide the discomfort that he felt. "Well, I came here to ask a favor from you..." He began.

"Uh, please do sit down. What kind of favor is it?" Both him and Sakura sat on the sofa, beside each other. "Well, I... I was thinking that you're the only one I can ask this favor from since you're the only girl that um, that's been close to me and I also think that you would be perfect for the favor that I was planning to..." Yeah, he was ranting.

"Sasuke-kun, what is it?" Sakura cut him off short. Sasuke stopped talking gibberish and fell silent. He looked at her seriously and gulped hard. "Well, I... I, um... I just wanted to ask you... if you could teach me how to... how to kiss..." Finally! Sasuke blurted it out! Surprising Sakura and even himself.

It took a few seconds for Sakura to process the information inside her brain... Sasuke was asking her to... to actually kiss him! "Uh... Um, why me?" She asked as she stared intently into his deep obsidian eyes. "Well, I just thought that you could help me since you're the only girl I'm close to... " Yes, he was trying not to blush, but all his control only went in vain as his face was filled with crimson hue.

"Will you teach me?" Sasuke asked. Sakura didn't exactly know what to say. "Well, Sasuke-kun, to tell you honestly... I... I've never been kissed myself... That's why I don't know what to teach you..." It's no use denying it anyway so she admitted to him that she's never been kissed. Ever. Sasuke thought for a while and finally made up his mind. Sakura is the only girl he'll only allow to kiss him.

"Then... let's help each other learn then... This is really important for me..." Sasuke said in a serious tone. He wasn't usually pushy like now and Sakura recognized the urgency on his voice, so, she decided to help him. Nobody would know anyway. It will be like their little secret.

Sakura breathed deeply. "Okay, I'll help you..." She finally agreed. Sasuke managed to show her a smile as a sign of gratitude. "Um, okay... So what do we do next?" He asked bluntly. Well, she didn't know what to do either! "Um, uh... I guess, we need to stand facing each other..." Sakura suggested.

They both stood up and faced each other uncomfortably. "Is this right?" Sasuke asked Sakura as he stood a foot away from her. "Um, I think you have to be closer..." Sakura instructed the Uchiha who obeyed without any hesitation. He stood so close to her that he could smell his musky scent filling her nostrils. His masculine scent was very intoxicating...

"Then?" He asked her. She stood so close to him that her scent tingled his spine as it entered his nostrils filling his head with unknown nostalgia and euphoria. "Then, you have to hold her..." She said, their eyes making contact. Emerald met Onyx. "Is this right?" He asked as he placed both his arms encircling her slim waist. Sakura gulped. "No, tighter..." She instructed. The Uchiha tightened his arms around her as their bodies were pressed tightly together.

"Then, what do I do?" He asked. Their faces only inches from each other and their eyes making contact. "Then, you dip your head low and kiss-" Sakura wasn't able to finish what she was about to say because Sasuke has already covered her lips with his. Apples and Cherries mixed sweetly.

At first, both their lips were only stuck together until he could bear it no more and playfully bit her lower lip. Slowly, both her arms came up to his neck as she responded to his kiss. They were engaged in the art of lip-locking for a couple of minutes until they ran out of breath and decided to stop. "That was... " Sasuke began and Sakura ended it. "...A kiss..."

"Yes, that was a kiss... Um, Sasuke-kun, you can let go of me now..." Sakura said. It was only then that Sasuke released her from his arms. He muttered a gomen and stood a good distance away from her. "Thank you." He uncomfortably said as he smiled. "You're welcome." Sakura said. "Um, Sasuke-kun, may I ask you a question?"

"What is it?" In exchange for the favor that she granted him, he will answer her question. "Why did you want to learn how to kiss tonight?" Sakura asked innocently. "Well, um, it seems that I've realized that I like this certain girl and I want to make her feel special... I couldn't think of anything so I thought I'd kiss her... But then, I still don't know how to kiss so I thought I would need someone to teach me... Actually, I was planning to tell her how I feel tonight..."

"Oh..." That was what Sakura was able to say. 'A girl...' She thought... Sasuke was in love with a girl... That's why he wanted to learn how to kiss... Sakura was suddenly saddened by the thought. After all these years that she has blindly waited for him... He still wasn't gonna be hers... And for a second there, she thought that he loved him back that's why he kissed her...

"She's one lucky girl, I guess." Sakura tried to mask out the hurt that was spreading like wild fire inside her chest. Sasuke smiled at what she said. "She is... She totally compliments me... She's like the day with her sunny smile and radiant personality..." Sasuke described. "And you're like the night that's dark, dim and mysterious..." Sakura smiled bitterly. "I hope she gives out her radiance to you to light up your life." She said. "She does." Sasuke replied. Sakura smiled bittersweetly. "I'm happy for you." She said. "Thanks." He replied.

"Oh, uh, we still have to attend the ANBU Ball!" Sakura mentioned. "I still have to retouch my lipstick!" She ran upstairs to her room ro retouch her lipstick like nothing happened. But once she was inside the safety of her room, her face scrunched up into a frown. She wanted to cry badly but she couldn't. Sasuke was outside. He must not see her vulnerable side again.

After composing herself once more and re-applying her make-up, she and Sasuke both headed to the ANBU Ball. Because of the events early in the evening, Sakura's main objective for the night was to get drunk... And drown out her sorrows.

When they entered the hall, and the dancing part began, a lot of males asked Sakura to dance which she obliged willingly. But after a few more minutes, Sasuke couldn't take it any longer and got her off from her partner. He decided to rather dance with her all night than see her dance with the whole male population! So he did! For the whole night, he didn't let go of her. Until they were the only couple left dancing on the dance floor at 2 in the morning.

"I guess, it's time to go home, Sakura..." Sasuke whispered in her ear. "Yeah, sure..." She was a bit tipsy due to drinking much sake. "Let's go home..." She said. "Too bad you weren't able to tell your girl about how you felt towards her since you were so busy taking care of me..." Yeah, she was drunk. Very drunk...

"Sakura, you're drunk." Sasuke stated. "No, I'm not! I'm okay! I can still go home! You still have time to tell your girl about how you felt for her! I don't want to be a bother for you!" Sakura was flailing her arms wildly, trying to steady herself. Without another word, Sasuke suddenly picked her up and carried her. "I am taking you home whether you like it or not." He stated firmly. Sakura chuckled. "That's your mighty Uchiha Sasuke, for you!"

When they reached Sakura's apartment, Sasuke had to bring her to her bed because she couldn't walk straight anymore. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun..." Sakura said apologetically. "Sorry for what?" He asked quizzically. "I ruined your plan for tonight... You could've told the girl you like about what you felt if it weren't for me..."

Sasuke didn't smile. "Actually, I still have time to go and get her... But if I come too late and I won't be able to get her, it's gonna be your fault." Sasuke stated plainly. "Okay... You can go after her now... Again, I'm sorry..." Without another word, Sasuke left her room and heard a loud bang from her front door, signaling that he'd already left...

Slowly, her shoulders began to rock violently as she sobbed. Tears came swelling down from her eyes uncontrollably... She had lost him... Forever... He would never be hers... All along, all these years, she was waiting for nothing... Nothing at all.

Suddenly, her hostile sobs were broken by a loud knock on her door. She hastily wiped her tears away and tried to stand and open the door. 'Who would come at a time like this?' She thought. As she opened the door, she saw Sasuke standing there, still wearing the clothes he wore at the ANBU Ball. "Oh, Sasuke-kun... have you forgotten something?" She asked innocently.

"Yes, I'm afraid... I unconsciously left my heart." With that, he encircled his arms around Sakura's waist and covered her lips with his. After giving her a satisfying kiss, he said, "If she doesn't accept me, it's gonna be your fault and you'll have to pay dearly."

-end-

a/n: please do give a review... I need inspiration right now!


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